Fall foliage in Maryland

Maryland runs from the Allegheny Plateau to the Chesapeake over nearly three weeks. Garrett County, around Swallow Falls and Deep Creek Lake, turns in the second and third weeks of October; the ridges of Green Ridge and Catoctin follow at the end of the month; the Piedmont, the C&O Canal and Sugarloaf Mountain close the season at the start of November, and the Eastern Shore fades in mid-November. Maple and cherry carry the west, with oaks, hickories and tulip poplar east of the mountains.

Those are the months when color is present somewhere in Maryland, from its highest ground to its lowest. Any one location changes over a much shorter period than that.

Why the timing shifts from year to year

Shortening days start the process, so most places in Maryland change at close to their usual time each year. Within the state, elevation and latitude account for most of the difference: higher and more northern ground generally changes first, and lower, sheltered ground last. Weather has more effect on how strong the color is than on when it appears. Cool nights and sunny days favor the reds, a dry summer mutes them, and a hard freeze or a windstorm can strip a slope in a day. What determines the timing goes through this in detail.

Nearby states

Fall color does not follow state lines. Maryland borders:

• Delaware fall foliage
• Pennsylvania fall foliage
• Virginia fall foliage
• West Virginia fall foliage

Timing for a specific place

This page describes a whole state, which is about as precise as a season can be described in words. Conditions at one overlook on one weekend are a narrower question, and that is the one Fallcast answers: an expected period of color for a specific location, with a confidence attached, updated through the season as the trees change. It is coming to iPhone this fall.

Questions, or somewhere in Maryland you would like covered? Write to fallcastapp@gmail.com.